Inside the Phillies with MLB.com beat writer Todd Zolecki

Utley Update

Chase Utley offered a quick update on his left knee before batting practice this evening at Wrigley Field.

Here is what he said:

Q: How did you feel taking grounders?
A: Ground balls went pretty well yesterday. I plan on doing some more today. I ran a little bit earlier today, which was nice. It was good to wake up feeling pretty good. That’s a good sign.

Q: You said in Washington you’d start taking ground balls, but it didn’t happen for a couple weeks. Why?
A: I was doing some things inside. I’m trying to get to a point where when we start going for it, I feel pretty comfortable. I’ve realized over the course of this time that the more I push it and feel uncomfortable, the worse it can get. We try to make small progressions. Taking ground balls yesterday was a good sign. I felt pretty good today.

Q: Is the next step taking grounders several days in a row?
A: One thing is, you don’t want to overdo it. Today, I’ll take some ground balls. Tomorrow, maybe I’ll slow it down a little and pick it up again. It’s all going to depend on how I’m feeling. Right now I’m feeling pretty good.

Q: Were you taking them at full speed yesterday?
A: I wouldn’t say it was full speed. It was fairly light. It was just good to be out there taking ground balls with the guys. I forgot how much fun it is to take ground balls.

Q: So how much discomfort do you feel in the knee right now?
A: Not much. There’s a little discomfort, but that’s a part of the whole process. Last year when I started taking ground balls, it was a little uncomfortable as well, but the more I did it, the better I became at it.

Q: Can you run at game speed?
A: Again, that’s a progression to work toward. I was doing some long striders, pushing the pace a little bit. Not quite 100 percent but close to it.

Q: When you leave for Florida it’ll still be to play in games?
A: Yes.

Q: Will you want to be pain free at that point?
A: Ideally, it would great to be. But over the past year or so I know what pain, the pain threshold I can play at. And right now I’m in the good zone.

Q: Is it a quick process once you begin taking grounders to getting to Florida?
A: I wish I could tell you, obviously the better I feel, the shorter it will take. But it’s still going to take a little time to get to game speed, obviously.

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Must be nice to get paid millions and have this attitude towards doing your job. I’ve always been a huge Utley fan but, this gettin annoying. He’s starting sound like an errogant a$& when he talks. Just shut up and either do your job or move on.

are you a complete asshole your whole life or just in this post? I am going to assume you’re the biggest dickhead at the family table for dinner as well, but then again I am giving you credit for even making it to dinner on time..

I can’t believe you! Are you so stupid that you don’t know that Chase is NOT initiating these comments to draw attention to himself, but he is simply answering annoying questions from the media. Would you feel batter if he were flaky and flummoxed by the questions? Would you be happier if he told us the truth: that he will never play another game of baseball pain-free? That he will only be able to play at 75% because of the pain? Is that what you would like to hear?

I agree with you. I think Galvis has been playing great at 2B. The hits will start coming as he gets more comfortable at the plate. It is nice to know that we will, hopefully, have him for many years to come. He definitely deserves to be up here with the big guys.

I love Chase, but let’s face it, he can’t play at the level he used to. Maybe he can plattoon at second base with Freddie. Maybe he can become a coach for the Phillies. He is defineatly a valuable guy to have around, but overpaid right now.

Chase will never be able to play at the level we have been accustomed to seeing him play. He will have to play in pain, and there is no way to guess how much pain that will be and how much it’ll affect his baseball skills. With DOUBLE the problems (two knees now) he had last year, it is safe to assume that he won’t be better than last year. I still think that for whatever reason, Pence is a better hitter with Chase in the lineup, even when he’s not doing much.

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